Composition for the destruction of mustard gas



United States Patent COMPDSITION FOR THE DESTRUCTION 0F MUSTARD GAS Application November 5, 1931 Serial No. 573,158

18 Claims. (Cl. 106-285) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code(1952), sec. 266) No Drawing.

This invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates in general to protective clothing and more particularly has reference to a process of treating material for rendering it resistant to vesicant gases and vapors and to the treating agent and the product resulting from the treatment.

it is well known that mustard gas vapors and similar vesicant substances penetrate ordinary clothing and produce serious irritation of the skin. Many attempts have been made, and several developments have been carried out in order to protect persons subjected to the mustard gas and similar substances, by providing clothing which would prevent the vesicant gases contacting with the persons skin.

impermeable suits have been made which prevent the vapors from reaching the skin, but articles so prepared are uncomfortable to the wearer to such an extent that they are impracticable except for certain limited uses.

Besides providing impermeable suits, the developments have produced chemicals which can be impregnated into ordinary clothing, permitting the normal passage of air and moisture through the clothing, but preventing the mustard gas vapors from passing through the clothing. These compounds are of a nature which will react with and destroy the mustard gas vapors. While this latter method of protecting persons from mustard gas vapors has desirable advantages, nevertheless, the materials produced for impregnating the clothing have been so unstable in the presence of air or moisture, or when the clothing is worn, that protection is secured for a few days or weeks only. It will be appreciated that while cloth impregnated with these materials will have utility to a certain extent, utility over longer periods of time is desirable.

A major object of this invention is to provide protective clothing of the latter type, having utility over a long period of time, and otherwise free from the disadvantages inherent in the prior art.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of-treating material to render the same impervious to mustard gas vapors and similar substances, which is free from the prior art disadvantages.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an impregnant for clothing to render the latter impervious to mustard gas vapors and similar substances.

A further object of this invention is to provide a substance which will react rapidly with minute traces of mustard gas vapors and similar vesicant materials without the formation of vesicant'by-products.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a substance which is reasonably stable in air and moisture, and which can be depended on for protection against mustard gas for a reasonable length of time.

2,927,037 E atented Mar. 1, 1960 A still further object of this invention is to provide a material which can be impregnated into clothing in sutfi cient quantities to be effective to protect the wearer against the vesicant effect of mustard gas, and which, when so impregnated into clothing, is not irritant to the skin or uncomfortable to the wearer.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the ingredients and steps to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary substances and compounds employed in carrying out the invention, and the steps involved in the procedure may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

The present invention consists in the provision of a compound which when impregnated in cloth or other similar material, serves to protect a person wearing clothing made of the material, against the vesicant action of mustard gas vapors.

The present invention is based on the fact that chlorine will react with mustard gar or similar substances to chlorinate the same and thereby produce compounds which are not vesicant. For instance, if mustard gas which is represented by the following formula 010112013: i S CICHgCfig is properly chlorinated, a compound is formed which is non-vesicant, and may be indicated by the following formula ClzCHCHC1\ /S ClCHzCH:

We have found that a compound having the following structure 0 II o1-N N-Cl 01001 oi 01 c1 1 has properties suitable for use in treating clothing to render the same suitable for use as protective clothing against mustard gas and similar vesicant compounds. This substance may be named bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenylchloro)urea or N,N-dichloro N,N'-bis(2,4,6-trichlor0- phenyl')urea. It will be noted that in this compound, the two chlorine atoms attached to thernitrogen are active and, consequently, the compound may be used to chlorinate mustard gas. In the presence of mustard gas vapors, the following reaction takes place between the 3 compound bis(2,4,6 trichlorophenylchlorohrea and mustard gas.

or 01C N-01 010111011 (HON-Cl c1 CIC NH 01301101301 or L =O+ S or While the above equation has been based on the assumption that one molecule of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenylchloro)urea reacts with one molecule of mustard gas, in actual practice, more than one molecule of the active reagent may react with a single molecule of mustard gas to give still higher chlorinated mustard gas derivatives. Even if the reaction proceeds no further than as indicated in the preceding equation, the resulting chlorinated mustard gas is rendered sufficiently non-vesicant so that the harmful effects of mustard gas will not be I encountered.

It will be appreciated that by impregnating the compound bis(2,4,6'trichlorophenylchloro)urea, in clothing, that the clothing will be suitable for protecting the wearer against the vesicant elfect of mustard gas vapor.

Any suitable method for impregnating the cloth with the compound bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea may be employed. We have found, however, that when a solution is prepared by dissolving the reactive agent bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in a suitable carrier, that very effective results are obtained. For instance, the reactive agent bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea or hexachlordiphenylurea dichlordiamine, may be dissolved in chlorinated parafiin oil, and the solution may be diluted by means of a voltatile solvent, so that the same may be more easily carried into the cloth to be impregnated.

As a specific example, we have found that the cloth may be readily impregnated by dissolving approximately parts by weight of the reactive agent bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea or hexachlordiphenylurea dichlordiamine in 10 parts by weight of a chlorinated parafiin oil containing approximately 42% of chlorine, and which is diluted by 80 parts by weight of a volatile solvent such as benzene. In impregnating the material, woolen cloth, such as is used for military uniforms may be soaked in the solution and wrung out so that the increase in weight of the cloth is about equal to its original weight. After this treatment, the volatile solvent is allowed to evaporate and the resulting cloth will be found to contain about 16% of the reactive agent and its carrier. prepared in accordance with the foregoing process, is not markedly oily or sticky, and can be made into uniforms in the same manner as ordinary cloth.

While in the foregoing disclosure, we have set forth specific percentages of reagents and particular compounds, we wish it to be clearly understood that the process and materials employed in carrying out the process may be widely varied, without departing from the spirit of this invention. For instance, we may use oil carriers other than those disclosed herein, and volatile solvents other than benzene may be employed with equally desirable results. We have found that cotton, woolen and other cloth material may be impregnated in accordance with the present Cloth v invention to render the same suitable for use in pro tection against the vesicant action of mustard gas vapors. In addition to treating material prior to being made into clothing, we wish it to be clearly understood that the present invention may be employed in impregnating clothing which has been made from various materials.

In addition to having properties suitable for rendering mustard gas vapors and similar substances non-vesicant, the compounds hereinbefore set forth are also effective as germicides and disinfectants. When used for this purpose, the material may be employed alone or in combination with other substances.

While we have described the preferred embodiments of our invention, we wish it to be clearly understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise steps or ingredients set forth herein by way of illustration, as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An impregnant for clothing for rendering the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising a non-reactive oil solution of his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea.

2. An impregnant for rendering clothing impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising a solution of bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in chlorinated paraffin oil.

3. An impregnant for rendering clothing impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising a solution of bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in paraffin oil and benzene.

4. An impregnant for rendering clothing impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising a solution of bis(2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in chlorinated paraffin oil and benzene.

5. An impregnant for rendering clothing impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising a solution containing 10 parts by weight of bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenylchloro) urea dissolved in 10 parts by weight of a chlorinated paraffin oil and parts by weight of benzene.

6. A cloth for use in protection against vesicant gases containing bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenyl chloro) urea impregnated therein.

7. A cloth for use in protection against vesicant gases impregnated with a solution of his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in an oil which is non-reactive with the available chlorine present.

8. A cloth for use in protection against vesicant gases containing a solution of his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in a non-reactive oil and benzene impregnated therein.

9. A cloth for use in protection against vesicant gases containing a solution of his 2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in a chlorinated paraffin oil.

10. A cloth for use in protection against vesicant gases containing a solution of his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in chlorinated paraffin oil diluted with a volatile solvent.

11. A method of preparing cloth to render the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising impregnating the cloth with bis(2,4,6-tn'cblorophenylchloro) urea.

12. A method of preparing cloth to render the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising impregnating the cloth with a solution of bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in an oil which is non-reactive with the available chlorine present.

13. A method of preparing cloth to render the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising impregnating the clothwith a solution of bis (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea in a paraffin oil.

14. A method of preparing cloth to render the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising impregnating the cloth with a solution of his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea and a chlorinated 15. A method of preparing cloth to render the same impervious to mustard gas and similar substances comprising impregnating the cloth with a solution of, his (2,4,6 trichlorophenylchloro) urea and a chlorinated paraffin oil diluted with a volatile solvent.

18. The method of rendering mustard gas non-vesicant which comprises chlorinating mustard gas with his (2,4,6- trichlorophenylchloro) urea.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Stampe Dec. 29, 1931 OTHER REFERENCES Chattaway et al.: Berichte des deutschen chemischen Gesellschaf vol 34, pages 1073-1078 (1901).

The Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare, by

Vedder (1925), pages 213, 271, 272. 

1. AN IMPREGNANT FOR CLOTHING FOR RENDERING THE SAME IMPERVIOUS TO MUSTARD GAS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES COMPRISING A NON-REACTIVE OIL SOLUTION OF BIS (2,4,6 TRICHLOROPHENYLCHLORO) UREA. 